Biography

9 August 1942, Chicago, Illinois, USA. DeJohnette studied piano for 10 years, graduating from the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. He also played saxophone, but was inspired by the example of Max Roach to take up drums, which he played with the high school band. He would practise for four hours on drums and four on piano, and played in all sorts of situations, from free jazz to R&B. Finally settling on drums, in 1963 he became a member of Muhal Richard Abrams Experimental Band and was later involved with the AACM. In 1966, he played with John Coltrane during the interregnum between the departure of Elvin Jones and the final choice of Rashied Ali as his replacement. In the same year he settled in New York, playing with Big John Patton, Jackie McLean, Betty Carter and Abbey Lincoln. At the end of the year he joined the Charles Lloyd Quartet, where he stayed until 1969, but during that time he also gigged with Thelonious Monk, Freddie...